Mud sloshed under junior Zoe Epstein’s feet as she danced to the vibrant music at the highly-anticipated Pitbull: Can’t Stop Us Now concert on July 29 at Jiffy Lube Live. Pitbull was one of the highlights of the long list of stars set to perform in the D.C. metro area this past summer, and CESJDS students did not miss out on the opportunity to see their favorite artists. 

Although it was raining for the majority of the show, Epstein had a wonderful experience at the concert and was able to find some irony in the performance. 

“Even though it was raining and muddy no one let that bother them and everyone still danced and had a good time,” Epstein said. “The most memorable moment from the concert was when [Pitbull] started singing ‘Rain Over Me’ and it started pouring again.”

Epstein especially cherished this experience considering it was one of the first concerts she had been able to go to since the COVID-19 pandemic began. 

The Something in the Water music festival that was postponed in both 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic returned this year to the D.C. area. Senior Ariella Mizrahi attended this festival and said that the highlight was watching Tyler, the Creator’s thrilling and long-awaited  performance. 

“He is one of my favorite artists [that] I have seen before when he went on his own tour so it was really fun to see him in a different setting with a different audience,” Mizrahi said. “His performance was very energetic and you could really tell he gave it his all.”

Junior Gili Schisterman also attended numerous concerts this summer, including Halsey, The Weeknd, One Republic and Chase Atlantic.

One performance that especially stood out to Schisterman was One Republic because the outdoor venue allowed her to watch the sunset during the show. She said the view really enhanced the energy of both One Republic and the crowd during the performance. Another highlight for Schisterman was how engaging the band was with the fans. 

“My favorite moment was probably how interactive One Republic [was] and how much they love their fans,” Schisterman said. “They were singing and engaging with the crowd so much.”

However, the experience that Schisterman enjoyed the most was The Weeknd concert at FedEx Field due to both the singer’s incredible vocals and the energy of the crowd.

“I really enjoyed The Weeknd because it was a huge stadium and the crowd was so engaging,” Schisterman said. “I also love his music and I had an amazing time with my friend there.” 

Senior Coby Malkus attended The Weeknd concert as well and shared Schisterman’s sentiments about the performance. Malkus explained that The Weeknd is one of his favorite artists, so attending the concert was a very meaningful experience for him. 

“It was kind of [a] last minute thing that me and friends decided to do, so it was really exciting to be all in the moment,” Malkus said. “The visuals were really cool, his voice sounded really good and it was a really good concert overall.”